| Description |
The Colorado River Director leads the development and implementation of EDF’s program to protect and restore the Colorado River. The Director will play a central role in our work to create a more flexible and dynamic management system for the Colorado River that meets both human and ecological needs and protects healthy river flows throughout the Basin. S/he will develop and embrace a sophisticated societal change vision for how to implement a Colorado River campaign and closely coordinate with other groups, partners, consultants and funders. S/he will lead the strategic planning for the project in collaboration with key EDF staff and allies. S/he will establish and maintain close collaboration with EDF’s key government, industry and NGO partners to achieve the goals and objectives in the Colorado River Project. S/he must possess and maintain deep knowledge and expertise on the legal, diplomatic, policy, institutional, economic, cultural and scientific issues in the Colorado River Basin and water resource issues. S/he is responsible for effectively communicating about EDF’s Colorado River Project with a diverse set of partners, decision-makers, industry professionals and funders which includes frequent public speaking, interacting with media professionals, communicating through social media tools and through other written media. The Director also:
- Supervises, manages and creatively motivates legal, policy, economics, science, communication, and administrative staff and consultants to achieve program goals
- Raises, directs, manages and has direct responsibility for multi-million, multi-year budget, including planning the budget, working with development staff to prepare proposal budgets, and the expenditure of professional fees.
- Oversees a federal and state legislative and policy campaign, including personally acting as a member of the policy team and representing EDF and coalition partners before legislators and high-level appointed agency officials.
- Initiates and negotiates collaboration, partnership, and other agreements with economic interests.
- Develops and implements cross-program partnerships and joint programs with other EDF programs.
- Provides regular and direct briefings to EDF executive staff, trustees, and funders on program progress and strategic direction.
- Negotiates, initiates, implements, and oversees partnerships to develop large-scale ecosystem restoration projects.
Education and Background
The ideal candidate will be a seasoned conservation professional with 12 to 15 years of experience working in a position of significant responsibility with focus on freshwater resources. The ideal candidate must possess outstanding strategic thinking, planning and communication skills and be an innovative thought and action leader who demonstrates collaborative teamwork, flexibility, adaptability and creativity. S/he must have a solid understanding of legal and policy frameworks for river management, including and water conservation. S/he will have experience working with current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions, coupled with a working knowledge of scientific information needed to facilitate engagement of river resource stakeholders. The ideal candidate for this position will possess a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. Graduate-level training and degrees are highly desirable.
The ideal candidate will have strong negotiation and deal-making skills, a strong focus on - and track record with - pragmatic, market-based solutions to conservation problems as well as demonstrated experience influencing, developing and implementing effective strategies to achieve desired outcomes. In addition, the ideal candidate will have experience with and an ability to communicate and collaborate effectively and build relationships with diverse partners and decision makers. Experience with high level conservation contacts (partners, community, government, etc.) and fundraising is required.
This individual will possess excellent management experience, including the ability to build a team and inspire and motivate team members, set goals, and lead efforts to achieve and sustain excellence. They will also have successful experience developing, directing and managing multiple projects. The ideal candidate must have strategic planning and management skills to implement program goals.
The ideal candidate will work with EDF staff and our allies to identify the largest solvable problems and propose solutions to address them. S/he will build durable relationships with key stakeholders in Colorado and across the country, working closely with staff and allies on the Colorado River Project.
Location
The position will be based in Boulder, CO and report to EDF’s Senior Director for Sustainable Waters based in Washington, D.C.
Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, EDF is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate.
Environmental Defense Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer
|
